Last Wednesday, I woke up to my alarm slightly confused and pensive about the dream I’d been awakened from. The scenario was not complete. It ended before I understood what it was about.

I dreamed about Wayward. This is strange because Wayward is my novel, it’s the conceptual plane that Simon gets pulled into and eventually learns to use. It is, in essence, a character on it’s own.

The really interesting thing about this movie of my subconscious is that not only was I in Wayward, but I could hear Simon’s voice (the same one that tells me to get it gear and do revisions). I was in an area of Wayward called The Field. It’s a place where you can imagine anything you can think of, almost without limit. The only thing I can remember him saying to me is ‘look at it, this is your creation.’ I think he told me other things, but I can only recall that.

While I scanned the area, The Field appeared as I envisioned it in my book, but when I turned around what I saw was dense rainforest. At this point I was joined by my Aunt Genevieve. She lives in Washington State a place that I have a particular fondness for. She did not say anything. We stood there in silence and then she put her arm around my shoulders and hugged me to her. That’s when the alarm went off. I didn’t know why she was there. Only that it was peaceful.

Aunt Gen had recently suffered a stroke, which was complicated by pneumonia. She has been in hospice care for a few weeks now. I learned later in the day that she had slipped into a comatose state. She woke up a couple of days ago and is still weak, but doing better.

I have to wonder, in that rift between life and death, had she visited me? It’s a premise in Wayward, the connection of subconscious minds. It segues nicely into the book teaser that I’ve chosen. I would not have picked this passage had it not been for the dream. So, first a little intro.

Simon has been pulled back into Wayward by his friend Eli Cusack. In this chapter, Simon discovers that he’s already able to use Wayward and finds Eli willing to answer some of his questions. Eli’s wife, Celeste, has been dead for twelve years, but he’s indicated to Simon that she visits him in Wayward. This excerpt introduces us to Eli’s character arc. I hope you enjoy it.

RG

After several minutes Eli gets up, stretches, and comes to stand beside me. The pole magically disappears as he gets closer. He sets the beer bottle down. “Pick it up.”

It disappears when I try to grab it. I take my hand away and it reappears.

Eli smiles, “I can see your projections, you can see mine, but we can only interact with our own. However, if you had a straw you could put it in my bottle, but–”

“If I tried to drink it, I’d be sucking air.”

“Exactly.”

“So, projections are physical to a point–manifestations are not.”

“You’re beginning to get this. You’ll figure out all the rules in no time.”

“You say Celeste comes here. Is she a manifestation?”

“Oh, no, she’s real. The dead can visit Wayward. There are rules around that as well. We can’t touch, but we can talk. She, like a manifestation, is not corporeal. She can’t touch anything on this plane.”

“Are you saying she floats, like a ghost?”

He laughs at this, “You could put it that way. She has energy about her that I can feel. It’s as much as I can hope for.” A hint of sadness appears in his eyes, but he recovers quickly.

“Where is she when she’s not here?”

“Our ancestors called it Tir Na Nog, the Land of Youth. The Vikings called it Valhalla, some say limbo, whatever your culture or religion’s name is for it. To pass through to the final destination, the spirit or their loved ones must be ready to let go.”

“Are you keeping her here Eli?”

His face clouds over. “Partly. And part of it is her. We haven’t been able to say our final goodbye.”